A photographic exhibition dedicated to the human chain linking three Baltic states in their drive for freedom on 23 August 1989.

Interfaith Chaplaincy
West Quadrangle, University of Glasgow

14 January – 25 February 2011
Chaplaincy open Monday – Friday 9.00 am – 5.00 pm

Opening reception: 14 January at 5.30 pm ; RSVP by 10 January

The world was moved by the sheer audacity of the Baltic Way, by the passion of the people involved, by the commitment of so many against such enormous odds. When 2 million Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians joined hands across their Baltic homelands to demonstrate their desire for independence, they showed the world the Baltic Way to freedom.

August 23, 1989 was the 50th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the Soviet-Nazi pact to rule Europe. The popular fronts of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania chose this day to send a message to Moscow that a half century of illegal Soviet rule was about to end. Two million men, women and children formed a living chain that extended for 600 km and linked the three Baltic capitals of Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius.

In support, the Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians living in exile gathered in Bonn (Germany) and Toronto (Canada), at the same time as millions of their compatriots behind the Iron Curtain, to demand freedom for the Baltic States. Just as the fall of the Berlin Wall signaled change in Central Europe, this remarkable show of unity by the Baltic Sea made headlines around the world. Two years later, in 1991, the goal of the Baltic Way was achieved and Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania restored to independence.

Contact: Ann Mulholland

Telephone: 0141 330 8539

First published: 1 January 2011

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